And my parents are—were—a part of this.
According to Raymond, my parents were in a relationship with a woman named Aria, who gave birth to first Fischer and then me. When they discovered how deep Aria’s ties ran with the organization, they gave her an ultimatum—us or them. She chose them. Everything was fine for a while, until Aria demanded visitation with me and Fischer. My parents decided to run, but on their way home from securing supplies, their car was rammed off the road and they were both killed instantly. I’d always believed it was an accident, only to discover the truth years later from Raymond.
It’s been Aria this entire time.
Pulling the strings, making us all her helpless puppets, forcing us to dance.
“I’m going to see Landon,” I tell Raymond, not giving him a choice in the matter. First, I need to get the hell out of this room and reconvene with my other guys. Then we can get to Landon.
Landon…
Images of his ashen face play on a loop in my head, and I feel physically sick, my stomach muscles clenching.
I need to be with him. Hold his hand. Tell him I love him.
Fuck, he needs to be okay. Heneedsto.
“Ellie,” Raymond growls out, venturing a single step closer. He raises his hands, palms out, like he’s a dangerous criminal approaching a trigger-happy cop. “You need to listen.” He stops directly in front of me, harsh lines etched across his haggard face. “You’ve been sold.”
I hear him, I do, but his words don’t register. I can’t think of anything but Landon.
So much blood…
And he was so still…
So pale…
Cold…
“Ellie. Dammit! Are you listening to me?” Raymond grabs my shoulders, his grip uncharacteristically tight, and gives them a punishing shake.
I glare at him, a tiny bit of anger slipping through and eclipsing the numbness.
“Drop your hands, or I’ll cut them off,” I warn. I don’t know where the threat comes from. That’s not me. It’s never been me. Yet…
Maybe this is who I am now.
Surprise flickers on Raymond’s face, chased quickly away by his usual stoicism. “Ellie, you’ve beensold.”
“Sold,” I parrot numbly, that one word penetrating my defenses.
Sold.
Sold.
Sold.
“I don’t know what the fuck The Divine One’s end goal is, but your information was just posted on the app. And someone bought you.” Raymond’s earnest eyes—a bland shade of bluish-gray—ensnare my own. “Do you understand? Someone fuckingboughtyou!”
Someone…bought me?
Shock thunders through me as I gape up at my uncle, trying to process his words and the implications behind them. The ramblings of the masked man play on a loop in my head. Those vile, awful things he was spewing…
Why? Why would my so-called mother do this? I’m assuming she’s the one behind this. I can’t think of anyone else who would have a motive. Besides, as The Divine One, she’s aware of everything that goes on within the Paragons of Prosperity. I was only sold because she allowed it to happen in the first place.
But it all comes back to…why? To stop me? To stop Mania? Or is this a way for her to tighten the leash on my brother, to get him to do her bidding? And who bought me? For what purpose? I actually don’t want to think about the answer to that last question. I have a feeling I know the purpose.
My stomach clenches violently as nausea rises.
